King Charles led the nation in a two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday to commemorate those who have died in conflict on Sunday morning.
Wearing his Royal Navy uniform of the Admiral of the Fleet with greatcoat, poppy and sword, the King was joined by members of the Royal Family, with his son Prince William, and siblings Princess Anne and Prince Edward standing beside him at the Cenotaph.
Princess Kate stood on the balcony of the Foreign Office with Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and watched 10,000 veterans participate in the Royal British Legion’s veteran parade.
The annual service is a fixture in the royal calendar and is held to mark the Armistice of the First World War and all other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.
The King laid the first wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph, which features 41 open-style poppy petals made from bonded fabric. The beautiful wreath closely resembles the one produced for King George VI, Charles’s grandfather. It’s mounted on an arrangement of black leaves, 27 inches in diameter. The ribbon and bow form the colours of the King’s racing silk – scarlet, purple and gold.
Major Ollie Plunket, the Queen’s equerry, laid a wreath on behalf of Her Majesty, as is tradition. Hers is slightly smaller, measuring 23 inches, and features 95 closed-style poppy petals.
Prince William, wearing a Royal Air Force uniform in the rank of Wing Commander with a greatcoat, poppy and sword, was the next to lay his wreath.
Wearing the Royal Wessex Yeomanry uniform, Prince Edward laid a wreath followed by Princess Anne, who was wearing the Royal Navy uniform in the rank of Admiral.
Senior politicians then walked up to the Cenotaph in turn to lay wreaths.
Today marks Kate’s fifth public appearance of the year, as she has taken time off from royal duties after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January and then was diagnosed with cancer.
In a video the princess released in September, she revealed she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, and spoke of how she was “looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months”.
